Britain's builders started the year optimistic that business will soon pick up despite a slowdown in overall growth for the construction sector.

As housing and civil engineering companies reported falling business in January, the construction sector only just managed to keep growing, according to a survey.

The headline activity reading dropped to 51.4 from 53.2 in December in the Markit/CIPS UK construction PMI survey.

That was above the 50-mark that separates growth from contraction for the 13th straight month. But it undershot economists' forecasts for 52.6 and was the weakest for four months.

Survey compilers Markit said the slowdown in growth was led by weaker new order growth, with companies reporting reductions in clients' budgets.

Still, construction companies were generally more optimistic about activity picking up in the year ahead.

The survey's confidence reading was the highest since May 2011 as companies cited help from improving economic conditions and new marketing initiatives.

"This suggests that growth may pick up again in the sector in coming months and, on top of the surprisingly strong start to 2012 reported by the sister survey of manufacturing, will raise hopes that a slide back into recession may yet be avoided," said Sarah Bingham, economist at Markit.